nethackfandomcom-20200214-history
Staircase
A staircase or stairway is represented by either a or character, depending on whether the stairs go up or down. A staircase will take you to another dungeon level above or below you. There are also other means of connecting levels: ladders and portals. While ladders mean no difference in use, portals are a magical connection and may be unusable. Usually there are two staircases per level: one upstairs and one downstairs. Each staircase is accessible in both directions, except the one leading from the Valley of the Dead to the Castle level: there's no downstairs on the castle level, so do not accidentally block all the trapdoors! Staircases are commonly engraved upon, with either a note to the player reminding them of something of importance on the level, or with Elbereth, which the player can stand upon to safely fight an enemy that teleports to the upstairs during combat. On branching levels, there are additional staircases. These are the entrance level to the Gnomish Mines and to Sokoban with one additional staircase. In Gehennom, there are the levels containing the Wizard's Tower which have one or two additional ladders. The vibrating square is actually a hidden down staircase that can only be revealed by performing the invocation ritual. The bottom levels of the Gnomish Mines, Gehennom and the Quest as well as the top level of Sokoban only contain one staircase, obviously. One other staircase is very important, and that's the upstairs from level 1. If you don't possess the Amulet of Yendor and climb up these stairs, you escape from the dungeon and lose the game. If you carry the Amulet, you reach the Elemental Planes and start the End Game. In both cases, you can't return, and you are warned with the message "Beware, there will be no return!" Additionally, a theory has been proposed by Dogley, that staircases are wormholes going through the magical void between the levels and can be accessed by visiting level 4.5. For more information on this, see Dogley Dimension. Note that some monsters can follow you up and down stairs: demons, including demon lords and princes will do so. Even low-level demons like imps and homunculi will do so, and because they are also fast, they can be tricky to escape early on if you are not strong enough to fight them. Ghosts will also do so (although they are rarely very dangerous), as well as some other undead creatures. If you engrave Elbereth on the stairs, they cannot follow you. If you cannot find a staircase to the next level * Try moving (or destroying) a boulder. It may cover a staircase. * Try searching. Staircases themselves are never hidden, but the rooms containing them may be behind a secret door or hidden corridor square. The screen is more or less full of rooms on every floor of the dungeon, so if you notice that you haven't uncovered rooms on one side of the screen, try looking for a door that might lead that way. * Step on every tile that contains an item. Staircases can be hidden under useless items. It is also a good idea to make sure the up staircase is free of items to ease your return trip. If a tile with more than one, but less than enough to produce the "there are several objects here" message, you don't see the stairs message. * Kill those harmless jellies and puddings. Frustratingly, they are sometimes stairs-squatting. (If you must attack one of these monsters, watch your health carefully, as their passive counterattack can often prove fatal to low-level characters.) * If all else fails, use a pick-axe, wand of digging, or the dig spell to dig > (downward), creating a hole in the ground. You can then search the next dungeon level for the up staircase. It is usually a good idea to locate the up staircase before proceeding further into the dungeon. Encyclopedia entry Dr. Ray Stantz: Hey, where do those stairs go? Dr. Peter Venkman: They go up. }} Category:Dungeon features